MILF to republish deceased chairman's book

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Saturday said it will republish a book that contains the group's ideological roots. The 65-page book, titled "Bangsamoro Mujahid: His Objectives and Responsibilities," was written by the group's late former chairman, Hashim Salamat. The book was first printed in 1985 when Salamat was in Lahore, Pakistan. He first arrived there in 1980. "Due to financial constraint, the MILF is considering only 2,000 copies for this current effort. The book is currently under translation in Tagalog for better understanding by various Moro ethno-linguistics in Mindanao," the MILF said on its website. It said the book has only two chapters, but it has many sub-topics such as religious, ideological, political, and organizational discussions. Most of the book's contents define who is an ally, neutral, enemy, or probable enemy. According to the group, Salamat's view of who is the enemy "contravenes conventional concept of even the so-called revolutionaries." "To communism, the enemy is the rich or capitalist tagged as 'oppressor.' To Salamat, the enemy is 'oppression' and whoever practices this is an enemy, even if he's a Muslim himself," the MILF said. In 2002, he had written some notes to update the book. However, it was not completed because he died on July 13, 2003 in Lanao del Sur. Current MILF chairman Al Haj Murad — then the MILF vice chairman for military affairs — succeeded him. "There is urgency in this publication," said MILF deputy spokesman Khaled Musa. Musa noted some sectors in the Moro society had accused the MILF of adopting a "deviationist policy" after the demise of the main founder of the MILF. "Let the book be the witness to what the MILF is doing now and let him prove that the present leadership of the MILF is not toeing the original lines enunciated by Salamat," he said. — JE, GMA News